Hyperopia
by Anthy
Summary: Sometimes you can only see things from a distance
1. Hyperopia

Hyperopia  
by Anthy

Cam Watanabe had been warned off-hand, but he didn't take it for more than jest. For all of his knowledge, Cam did not have the social intelligence to deal with peers. He lacked the patience or understanding of the motives behind many interactions. It left him awkward and stuck in situations beyond his control, as it was he was better off without them. It turned out, however, that the warning about the oldest thunder ranger should not have been dismissed.

_You do not want to make Hunter beg, it isn't pretty._

Hunter Bradley turned out to lack the same social IQ that Cam did, but managed to cope differently. Where Cam postured himself in the most intimidating light he could, Hunter would lower his consciousness to the point of harmless gullibility. Who could bring harm to such a wide-eyed, smiling expression, disregarding that Hunter was tall, broad-shouldered and undeniably strong?

It made Cam find anything to his knowledge to anger the crimson ranger, for he could deal better with Hunter's frustration. He never understood it, or why Hunter kept at it, but he did. For the weeks that Hunter had loitered about Ninja Ops, their interactions seemed to turn out in the same manner. Being offered to see a kung fu matinee the next day was easily dismissed and the two promptly went through the motions of annoying and shutting out the other's presence. Somewhere along the line Hunter Bradley seemed to make up his mind that Cam _had_ to see this film with him. The forlorn pout in Hunter's bag of tricks turned out to be a powerful trump card, as it was difficult to decline then.

They had returned from the theater, again at Hunter's insistence, for the day was still young. Cam would have rather made his way back to Ninja Ops to complete the project left unfinished on his hard drive, but apparently this was what teens had to do. Hunter turned out to be better company than Cam expected, though the film was predictably dull and ill-conceived. Cam followed a step behind his taller companion, detailing everything wrong with the film.

"Ever think it was meant to be bad?" Hunter asked, a faint trace of amusement coming through his irritation.

"How can something that bad even be considered good? It wasn't even historically accurate."

"Dude, because it's stupid." Hunter turned on his heel and began to walk backwards. "Come on, you have to admit the action scenes were good."

"The technique was lacking in every scene, but the camera crews disguised it well."

"...lost cause."

"You invited me."

"You accepted."

"You begged."

"Still could've said no."

"Curb." Cam stated just as Hunter's right heel slid over the curb's edge. He couldn't help but laugh as the blond teen recovered, to his surprise Hunter laughed along with him.

"So, yeah, our apartment's there." Hunter turned and pointed to the three-story building in front of them. "It was a bit of work finding something furnished that didn't drain the wallet."

Cam fished in his pockets and pulled out his glasses. "I wondered about that." He commented as he put them on. Hunter looked thoughtful for a moment before stepping in the direction of the building.

"When we were taken in by the Thunder Academy, we earned our keep but Sensei Omino insisted on giving us allowances. Once racing started to pay for themselves, it was just held aside for a rainy day."

"Moving away from home to save the world-"

"-would count." Hunter finished Cam's sentence. He climbed the steps and stopped in front of the first door. "Don't tell Dustin but I was a bit glad we were coerced to working as stock boys for Storm Chargers. Funds have to come from somewhere."

"Yeah." Cam chuckled under his breath. Any offer to help would be rejected, he knew, independence meant a lot to the Bradleys, it was a trait he found admirable. Idiotic in many respects, but if he were in their shoes he'd do the same. Following Hunter into the apartment, he found it was more spacious than he expected.

Hunter clicked his tongue once inside and began to pick up random navy garments that were scattered on the floor and couch. "Not exactly cleanest roommate," he said as he brushed past Cam into the kitchen. "Want anything to drink?"

"No, thank you." Cam followed Hunter into the kitchen. The washer and dryer were lined side-by-side, next to the stove. Hunter opened the lid of the washer and deposited the clothes inside. He peered into the dryer before hefting a full basket of clothes in one arm. Cam pulled his glasses off and folded his arms. "I hope you didn't invite me over to help fold delicates."

Hunter gave Cam a flat look before carrying the basket into the first bedroom. "I invited you because I wanted to."

"Very reassuring." Cam stepped inside the room, noting by the navy blue that seemed to litter every space of the otherwise beige bedroom who it belonged to.

"Quit following me."

"Then what?"

"Watch TV."

"I don't." Cam smirked as Hunter made a face over his shoulder. He leaned against the door frame and commented. "It looks like a hurricane in here."

"Only room I'm not allowed to clean, thank God." Hunter picked a few garments before stepping into the door space. Cam lifted his arm to put up his glasses but immediately found Hunter's hand on his wrist. The contact was gone just as fast as it came, and Hunter stepped away, running a hand through his unruly hair. "That's annoying." He muttered under his breath.

"What?"

Hunter shrugged and made his way back into the kitchen. Cam shook his head, but nonetheless put his glasses back in his jacket pocket as he watched Hunter go into big brother mode as he made his way through their apartment.

"And you asked me over-"

"-to watch me clean." Hunter rolled his eyes, pointing to the last room down the hall. "It's called hanging out, doing nothing. I thought I'd give it a try."

"Seem to manage well on your own." Cam stepped into the bedroom, Hunter's place looking more put together and organized than he imagined.

"Thought I'd make it a group effort, even though you seem incapable of doing nothing."

Hunter noted airily, closing the door behind them. Before Cam could open his mouth, Hunter added, "Blake's shift will be over soon, unless you want to deal with him-"

"Rather not."

"Thought so." Hunter made a wave around the room before falling back on his bed haphazardly.

"Make yourself at home."

"By doing what?" Cam asked, pulling his glasses out of his pocket and setting them on his face as he glanced about the room.

Hunter glanced up and sighed. "For the love of-"

Before Cam could ask, the other boy was standing and in his face. Hunter gripped the frame of Cam's glasses and pulled them away. "Hey!" Cam reached out for them but Hunter extended his arm, placing the glasses out of reach.

"Are these a prescription? You're far-sighted right?" Hunter lowered the glasses over his own eyes.

"That's-" Cam started before trying to reach for the frames but found them again hefted over Hunter's head. "That's right. Far-sighted."

"So things get too fuzzy when they're too close, right?"

"Yes."

"Anytime else?"

"What?" Cam made a swipe at Hunter's arm with no success. The way the other teen was looking down at him made his stomach twist. "No."

"Seems you can't make up your mind when you're out whether to just keep them on or not. It's annoying." Hunter continued to seize Cam with his eyes in a manner that was disconcerting.

Cam frowned. "How could that possibly be annoying?"

"These are reading glasses." Hunter concluded, leveling his face to the shorter teen. Cam took a half-step backward, the words in his mouth knocked flat by that revelation.

"So?" He managed to say, that intense, frustrated gaze he enjoyed from a distance was now staring entirely too close. It was simple, assert back, don't let Hunter Bradley gain the upper hand.

"You don't need them."

"Give them back." Cam stood his ground, stepping into Hunter's personal space rather than allow the other teen to invade into his own. His pulse started to race, but he willed his expression passive as he kept his head tilted upward.

Hunter didn't back down and rather inched forward, pausing only to wear the glasses himself. Cam made a grab for them but found his wrist caught again, he went with his other hand and Hunter held both hands at Cam's chest. "Make me." Hunter announced with a smirk. "Or you can admit you're not as cool without them."

"That's not," Cam struggled, but Hunter's grip on his wrists didn't budge. _Think damnit, think._ "It's not that-I do, alright?"

"Dude, I won't laugh." Hunter said, laughing slightly as he let go.

Cam pulled the glasses from Hunter's face. "You just did."

"Because you're being stupid."

"What do you care?" Cam scoffed, reaching for the corner of Hunter's shirt and started to clean the lens with it.

"You still need to wear them around me."

Cam's head snapped up at those words, and he could barely register the implications before the minute distance between them seemed to disappear altogether. Just as warm breath against his face were replaced by lips pressed against his own, a loud rapping noise was heard against the door behind his back.

"Bro, I'm nuking a Hot Pocket. You want?" Blake's muffled voice was heard through the door and Hunter stepped away, looking as if he had been slapped instead of just having kissed someone. He didn't kiss back, did he?

"No, I'm-" Hunter started, just as Cam took the opportunity to open the door and push past Blake.

"Insane." Cam finished, pulling on his glasses with a huff. "Remind me never to be left alone with him again."

"Likewise." Hunter snorted and slammed the door on them both.

"What was that about?" Blake glanced over at Cam, a suspicious frown appearing on his face.

"The less said, the better." Cam uttered as he stormed down the hallway and out of the apartment without another word, slamming the front door behind him.

tbc


	2. Transference of Energy

It was ridiculous, all of it. First it was the avoidance that evolved to complete disregard. Hunter found himself practically latched to his brother, even when it became apparent that Blake wanted company from someone other than his older brother. He entertained himself as he watched Blake eagerly pursue Tori, though it irked him on equal levels. She was the only person who seemed to be able to get Cam to lower his guard, and it was quite fitting for her to be a bitch in his mind. Tori wasn't, but nonetheless Blake and Cam brightening around her-- it seemed justified in him acting as if she were.

Blake chastised him before their first 'date' to behave and try to be civil to the girl, especially since Hunter insisted on coming along anyway.

"I got the tickets!" Hunter protested. "They were supposed to be for us to go."

Blake crossed his arms. "Quit acting like a baby and make some friends, Bro. Come on, what loser wants to hang up under his baby brother all of the time?" Instead of a smart reply, Hunter put Blake in an all-encompassing headlock, and slapped Blake's hair with the festival program. Blake slid free and took a mock fighting stance. "Or maybe you could tell me what you've been hiding under me for, eh?"

"Where's your date? Maybe she woke up to the fact it's you and isn't coming." Hunter leaned against the wall, waving off Blake's questioning.

"Or maybe you can, you know, talk." Blake said, preparing himself for a Crane Kick ala Karate Kid as hopped on one leg and he held the other in the air. "And not brood."

"That's helpful." Hunter laughed at his brother's antics, to which Blake playfully growled and dropped his pose, punching Hunter in the stomach. "And so lame."

"So, are you going to spill, or what?" Blake inquired once more, but with a faint gush of wind, Tori came rushing up the stairs of the theater, completely throwing the Navy Ranger off-guard. Okay, today she could be his new best friend, Hunter thought as he greeted her with a cheerful smile.

------

He had been irritated, more than irritated. Cam kept his time and thoughts bound to his duties in Ninja Ops, his productivity on his projects and satellite monitoring had all but doubled since that night. Though he could now barely consider what occurred to be a kiss, there was little dismissing what it could have been in his mind. Or why Hunter thought it would have been a grand idea to try such a thing on him. The time was too short to adequately kiss back, though on his downtime Cam found himself pondering whether he would. Even worse, he couldn't make up his mind why it angered him so, the kiss he didn't dislike, and he found Hunter tolerable most times. He thought of dropping these thoughts as hypothetical questions to Tori, but she seemed preoccupied with a Thunder Ranger of her own. That only served to irritate him even more.

It was easy to brush off his father's inquiries, especially after Blake had managed to break the miniature television Cam had just completed. 

"Talking it out would solve many misunderstandings, my son."

"Dad, there aren't any-" Cam said with a sigh, though the alarms from the mainframe directed their attentions to more important things.

----

Five rounds and his sweater still reeked. He could have left it with the loads of laundry that Tori was obligated to clean, but Blake was insistant on asking her out again, much to Hunter's annoyance. The bell of his apartment rang, and he glanced over his shoulder.

"It's unlocked." he called out, pretty certain that it was another case of Blake not wanting to unlock the front door for himself. Probably had -her- with him too…

…though a glasses-wearing Cam turned out to be the appropriate answer.

----

It was impulse and desperation that led Cam to ring the Bradley's doorbell. Blake accosting Tori away just as Cam was going to tell her of the problem he wasn't having was the last straw. He had to talk to someone, and as luck would have a sadistic streak, Hunter was the only person left. "It's unlocked." Hunter's voice called out, and with a deep breath he stepped inside. 

There he found Hunter in the kitchen, sitting cross-legged on the tiled floor, a white towel draped over his head. He was fresh out of the shower, barely dry, only clad in a pair of dark jeans. Hunter was holding a sweater to his nose, looking for all of the world ready to rip the garment to shreds. Before he could speak, the smell hit him. "Ugh!"

Hunter glanced up at the noise and jumped to his feet, lowering the towel like it was a hood. "It's the sweater, it still smells fresh from the popcorn vendor."

"Half-cup of white vinegar and a half-cup of baking soda." Cam sat on the counter, his hands clasped at his knees. Hunter's hair looked good while wet, the hair color almost a sandy brown, the natural fall of it gave a clean appearance. Blue eyes remained staring at Cam with a deep scowl, and Cam cleared his throat. "No, I didn't come here for you."

"Yeah, I figured." Hunter said with snort as he turned to throw his sweater back in the washer. "It's her isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Hunter pulled a red t-shirt from the dryer and pulled it over his shoulders. "Yeah, well, me too."

"Jealous?" Cam raised an eyebrow at the other teen.

"Damn straight. That's _my_ brother. And I don't know what you two see in her, but how am I to know she is right for him? I don't want to watch him build himself up just to see her beat him back down and then be the one putting him back together." Hunter concluded his rant by leaning on the counter beside Cam's legs. From where he sat, Cam could smell the faint buttery scent that still lingered in Hunter's hair.

"Given your initial dealings with us, I have more to worry about in regards to your brother." he commented with a shake of his head. Hunter snapped up his head to glare up at Cam.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"She could do better?"

"Oh, like you?"

"No!" Cam rolled his eyes. "Tori's like a sister to me. I don't bother retaining friends, if you haven't noticed."

Hunter crossed his arms, immediately reminded that they weren't supposed to be talking to each other, much less understanding where the other was coming from. "I've noticed."

"What, are you jealous?"

"Not when you're scared of people." Hunter noted with good-natured humor, his smile widening as they eased back into their old routine.

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"Take those off then." Hunter made a swipe for the bridge of Cam's glasses.

"No!" Cam turned his head out of reach, pushing Hunter's arm away. 

"Can I wear them?" Hunter asked, looking up at Cam with wide-eyes, though it was contradicted by the Cheshire-cat grin that remained stuck on his face. "It's not direct eye-contact, less nerve-wrecking, right?"

"I'm not letting you wear my glasses, that's not hygienic."

"They look better on me."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Are you five?"

"Wanna make a bet?" Hunter chuckled and started to scour the cabinet over Cam's head.

"Don't answer a question with a question, especially a rhetorical one."

Hunter turned his attention to Cam, almost nose to nose with the other teen. "What, are _you_ five?"

"Hunter?" Cam asked in a deadpan expression.

"Cameron?" Hunter mimicked. They held each other's gaze, a few seconds spanning to many before Cam broke. He laughed and pushed at Hunter's shoulders.

"This is going nowhere." he admitted, leaning back to rest on his hands.

"Well, ball's in your court." Hunter made a motion with his hand as he started to rummage in the next cabinet overhead. "What else is on your mind?"

"You."

"Me?" Hunter blinked as he extracted a box of baking soda.

"And your obsession on when I should or shouldn't wear my glasses."

"Not about…" 

"No, I've made up my mind about that already."

"Care to clue me in on what that is?"

"No." Cam smirked, hopping off the counter.

"Hmph." Hunter began to measure out the baking soda when he heard the door open. "Where you going?"

"Home. I got what I came for." Cam stepped back into the kitchen. A little voice in his head told him it was a bad idea to return, but he paid little attention to it. When he was greeted with a sideways-grin on a faintly irritated face, the comforting feeling was worth the risk.

"Need to work on showing up and leaving unannounced , you know." Hunter noted, setting the box on the side of the washer.

"I'll keep that in mind." Cam stepped into the kitchen, impulse entertaining a particular thought that stayed with him from the moment he spotted Hunter sitting on the tile. He gripped the collar of Hunter's shirt and pulled the other boy forward. He pressed his lips against Hunter's, tilting his head back and away before the Crimson Ranger could have a chance to respond. "I'm leaving." He murmured as he gauged Hunter's expression, his own voice seeming to lack enough air to sound normal.

"If you must." Hunter's face ranged from confusion to a slow-grin. He leaned forward in attempt to kiss Cam again but the other boy shook his head and stepped out of reach.

"Imperative." Cam grinned. _On my terms, take it or leave it…_

Hunter stared at Cam for a moment before nodding. "See you around then."

Cam smiled over his shoulder then made a brisk exit out of Hunter and Blake's apartment. He was unsure on how he felt of the Bradleys, his interaction with Hunter, or how to deal with Tori's growing interest in Blake's attention. Nonetheless, nothing passed the interim like a good experiment, the other solutions will come to fruition later.

tbc 


	3. Female Intervention

There was nothing worse than cleaning a motorcycle filter. Nothing. Hunter thought as he lifted the element from the solvent bin, it was better than having to figure out what to do next. Another day passed and Cam seemed content with ignoring him, again. The first kiss was just a diversion, a last minute move that he rationalized as being a now-or-never opportunity. He could barely register the experience in his memory, much less relish it since the action seemed to ruin all chance of even befriending the aloof technician of the Wind Academy. Then Cam had to ruin -that- idea by tracking Hunter down and kissing him. It was as brief as the first, and in its wake left nothing but discontent and confusion. To which, Cam didn't seem bothered enough to care.

"You're going to ruin the foam if you keep wringing out that way." a female voice chided as she breezed past his shoulder.

"Sorry, Kel." Hunter glanced quickly over at the retreating red-head, the filter slipping through his fingers back into the bin. He was handling the filter properly, so why-?

"And don't forget to clean the filter cage, yeah? It looks a bit overdue for it." Kelly grinned, her voice light as she stood next to him. "Is everything okay? You usually fight me tooth and nail over maintenance."

"Yeah," he sighed, moving away from the solvent bin to the sink. "It's just relationship stuff."

"Trust me, that stuff is never just stuff. And it never gets easier."

Hunter glanced over his shoulder. "What do you do?"

"When I'm having trouble with a guy, never fails to ask around." Kelly paused before pointing at him, her voice stern. "With a grain of salt, because the best source is the direct one."

"The direct source isn't talking." Hunter shrugged. _Don't have many 'sources' to go to either..._

"Well, best to get it out there." Kelly gave him a comforting pat on the back before returning to the front of the store. By the time the filter was rinsed and set out to dry, the three wind rangers and his brother could be heard laughing in the lounge. Hunter removed his gloves and sighed, his mind preferring to give out free filter cleanings to every motorbike in the immediate area than what he had to do.

"I don't like you." The words flew out of Hunter's mouth the second he was able to pull Tori away from the core group. She blinked before grinning disarmingly at him, completely amused at his knee-jerk reaction to being left alone with her.

"Your jealousy is cute." She stated, leading him to the outside of Storm Chargers (and prying ears). "And the epiphany of yours is apropos-"

Hunter rolled his eyes. Everyone had to be a smart ass. "_Concerning_, the fact that you're the only one I can talk to about this." He interrupted, his tone a bit smug. Even still, Tori was undaunted. It was annoying to be around someone unfazed, why couldn't she be like that dumbstruck girl whenever Blake was present?

"So, what's the problem?" she pressed, leaning against a corner of the building.

"Cam." He stated, glancing around the corner to see if they were followed. "How much does he tell you about himself?"

"Enough." Tori smiled, glancing away.

"About me?"

"Not enough." Tori's voice changed from amused to faint curiosity, but her expression remained unreadable when she turned her full attention back to him. "What did you do?"

"Why do I have to be the one who did something?"

"He wouldn't do anything otherwise." She grinned up at him. "So, spill all of the sordid details, then I'll call you an idiot and then give you the advice you need."

"I did something that was unexpected to him. He reacted like anyone would, then nothing. Days pass, he tracks me down and pulls the same thing on me. Then nothing from him. Am I supposed to ignore it, call it even or am I supposed to keep this back and forth thing until we kick each other's asses for the trouble?"

"What did you do?" Tori asked again, inching closer. Hunter wasn't going to give her such easy fodder to mess with him later so he glared in response. After a pause, she shrugged and leaned back against the wall. "So why did you do it?"

"Because-I don't know, he was getting all defensive and was shutting me out so I just wanted to jar him a little."

"What if Cam did it for the same reason?"

Hunter shrugged. "You tell me."

"You are an idiot." Tori said with a fair shake of her head. She put a hand on Hunter's shoulder, her tone conciliatory. "Just tell him what you did and why in the most subjective way as possible, and if you're lucky he'll do the same."

"And if he doesn't."

"He hates you and it's a lost cause?"

"That's comforting."

"But the truth." She poked Hunter's chest. "You and I both know he can be difficult, but he doesn't know any other way. I've noticed you've been trying to get him to loosen up more and do things outside of Ninja Ops but, really, he likes being in Ninja Ops. Maybe if you tried spending more time doing things his way instead of putting him out of his element, he might warm up to you. Then you can introduce him to new things."

"Hmm, that easy huh?" he asked, giving her a sideways grin.

"Mmm-hmm." she nodded, giggling at him. "Anything else?"

"What's the deal with the glasses?"

"You tell me, I always thought they were a Linus thing."

"Linus?" Hunter asked, but Tori was already walking back to the entrance of the building.

"Ask Cam." she called over her shoulder. "You're welcome."

"Thanks," Hunter as half-heartedly as he rolled his eyes and walked away from Storm Chargers. As annoying as she was, he was grateful.


	4. Categories

Cam couldn't stop thinking. The processes of an algorithm scrolled down his computer screen but he barely paid attention. Every second of each kiss replayed in his mind in slow motion. In reality they were fleeting, not much of anything. Yet his mind amplified them to more than what they were. There was nothing more and if Cam had his way, would never be. It made the idea revisiting his abandoned virtual replicate program alluring, but he found that human behavior was at times unpredictable, even his own. Time had passed and yet neither had brought up the instances again, and it didn't appear a chance would present itself to recreate them. Until that day.

Hunter was wearing cargo pants. That in itself wasn't unusual, but the fact that he entered Ninja Ops dressed casually meant he wasn't there for business. The black t-shirt and crimson button down meant he wasn't stopping through on the way to the track either. He had a blithe grin as he casually walked over to Cam's station.

"I figured it out." Hunter announced, placing his hand on Cam's arm rest, looking down at the seat's occupant with bright eyes.

Cam continued to work on his project. He was unsure why he continued to shrug off Hunter's company, and he seemed even more confused on why it mattered. Even more confusing questions remained on why he acted upon impulse and kissed a guy he very well should have punched. Or how Hunter could wander in as if nothing had changed. He waited for over a minute, but he realized the cold shoulder wasn't going to work. "What did you figure out?" He echoed, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Dustin said you might be a sandbagger, whatever the hell that is, Shane said you scare him with or without glasses, and Tori said it was a Linus thing." Hunter scrunched up his face in thought before the grin resumed on his face. "I always thought you used them to intentionally block people out, but it's a security blanket."

"My glasses are not a security blanket, Hunter." Cam muttered, wondering for the twentieth time why the Crimson Ranger seemed obsessed with Cam's glasses. He took them off, almost in defiance, and set them next to the keyboard. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he listened to Hunter sigh.

"So, why do you wear them even when you don't need them?"

"Not all of the time."

"When you're comfortable."

"I never thought about it." Cam saved his last document and closed it, twisting his chair around to glance up at Hunter. "That's why you traveled all the way here?"

"No," Hunter smirked and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I was just in the neighborhood."

"Right." Cam sighed as he stood, brushing past Hunter to pick up a few documents on the table behind him. "I really don't have time to-"

Something in the way their eyes met before he crossed, the unspoken challenge and acceptance of dares, Cam knew that his glasses would be missing by the time he returned to his desk. And so would Hunter.

"I'll be back later, Dad." Cam called out randomly over his shoulder as he sprinted up the stairs.

---

Cam ran, using abilities he was technically not supposed to know. He figured that Hunter, like everyone, assumed that he wouldn't be able to catch up. He stopped outside of the clearing as waited for Hunter to run into him. The tall blond looked pleased with himself and he stepped through the trees. That expression wavered slightly when he found Cam waiting on trail in front of him.

"I didn't know you were that fast."

"I'm a sandbagger." Cam snapped, adding after a pause. "Dad made me run as punishment."

"You need them that bad, huh?" Hunter crossed his arms defiantly. "I don't know if I want to give them to you today."

"What?"

"Yeah, I think I might want to hold on to them, a keepsake of sorts."

"Storm Chargers has better souvenirs."

"Okay, maybe I want to...test them?"

"Just give them back."

"No, I want to figure you out." Hunter spoke, unfolding his arms. "Then maybe we can stop this whole 'kiss-and-run' thing before it becomes a trend."

"You started it."

"But-" Hunter started to counter, but rolled his eyes instead. He held his arms out, palms open. "Look, I kissed you that day to throw you off, and I did."

"I returned the favor." Cam replied after he absorbed the information. While it settled the questions in his mind, he felt disappointment in its place. "Mystery solved?"

"Nope." Hunter raised his eyebrows as he smiled, fishing for the glasses in his shirt pocket.

"Give me my glasses back."

"In return, I get-"

"This isn't a trade."

"I never said it was a trade. I demand ransom."

"How about I don't break your arm?" Cam stepped forward, unsure to whether his offer came as a threat or something else, but judging by the grin on Hunter's face it was the latter. It was starting to become clear to him that he was the test subject, not the other way around.

"Or you can watch Space Mutiny with me tomorrow." Hunter held out the glasses in front of him.

"I don't like movies." Cam wrapped his fingers around the glasses, giving a flat look as the other teen didn't let go.

"Don't worry, there's nothing to love with this one. That's why I think you'll enjoy it." Hunter grinned, tugging back on the frames, reeling Cam in.

"Or I can break your arm." Cam replied, pulling back on the frames. He needed to root himself, not let himself get drawn in and beyond his control. "No more kiss tactics."

"I won't if you won't." Hunter nodded, releasing the glasses. "You still have to watch that movie with me tomorrow."

"Fine." Cam set about cleaning off his glasses. There were fingerprints all over the lenses, and he needed to see, to focus.

Hunter leaned forward, a sideways grin that was obviously up to no good appeared on his face. It was almost endearing. Almost. "Kiss on it?"

Cam made a face as he put his glasses on. "Goodbye, Hunter."

"Later, Cam." With a flash of crimson, Hunter was gone. That trick was far too quick to really be appreciated, he thought to himself. He also concluded that the world had gone insane. At least the next day would be interesting. He needed to prepare. And plan.

tbc

* * *

** Author's Note**: A sandbagger, according to Merriam-Webster, is to conceal or misrepresent one's true position, potential, or intent especially in order to take advantage of. Which in Dustin's mind, is so totally Cam, dude. 


End file.
